*Clink
Releasing his katana, Yuki (clone) fell to the ground, closing his eyes. His Transformation had deactivated, his energy depleted. The Time Castle had drained much of his energy, and he had suffered injuries in the confrontation with Reisuke...
(Ah, this is the end... for me)
As a clone, Yuki was aware that he would soon disappear; his energy sustaining this state had run out.
"Yuki-kun..."
(Huh?)
Opening his eyes, Yuki (Clone) looked towards Tsubaki. She was staring at him with a furrowed brow, clenching her fists. The Time Castle had crumbled, so Tsubaki escaping from that fragment wasn't surprising if she were to look at it now.
"Miss Tsubaki...."
"Why? ... Yuki-kun... Why...."
With her body trembling and tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, Tsubaki asked with determination...
She couldn't understand it. They had a deal where Yuki would protect her from all danger until this Survival Game ended, and so far, Yuki had kept his word.
However, that didn't mean Yuki had to bear the burden of her life with her.
Others might not know, but Tsubaki was aware. Yuki (clone) was finished; he had withstood the Time Castle on his own, preventing Tsubaki's energy from being stolen, as well as preserving her vitality.
Moreover, he gave her the chance to dream...
It was a beautiful dream—her parents alive, living a life of love and affection. She never thought she would come to love that Omekata sect. For her, that sect deserved to disappear; it took everything from her.
Her parents, her virginity, her future...
But in that fragment, she was happy. That sect wasn't her nightmare; it was her home.
She loved that sect...
It was a sweet illusion, a sweet lie...
But she lived all of this because of Yuki. He bore the burden of her hatred and allowed her to live. She was very grateful; those two years were the happiest of her life. If possible, Tsubaki didn't want to wake up. She wanted to keep living that sweet dream, with the sect, with her parents, with her beautiful and cute dog.
But... why?
Why did Yuki go to such extremes for a happiness she would never have?...
(TN: Cuz we do a little trolling)
It made no sense at all; it was cruel and yet very tender...
That future, which she would have had if her parents hadn't died...
"Why?.... I also wonder about that..."
Smiling bitterly, Yuki honestly didn't know why he did it. He should have let everything follow its course of time, yet he couldn't do it...
Tsubaki's story reminded him of that companion he had in his past life, the woman who loved him madly and died for him...
That woman, like Yuno, depended a lot on him.
She also had a fate similar to his, and he sincerely didn't want Tsubaki to experience that life of pain again. The guilt he felt towards that woman was a shadow in his heart...
"Maybe it's my selfishness or my regrets, but I didn't want you to suffer. I didn't want you to shed tears of pain... I wanted you to smile, I wanted you to be happy..."
Opening her eyes in shock, Tsubaki's body trembled, and tears began to fall...
"Yuki-Kun!"
(My time is up...)
Feeling his body getting heavier, the shadow beneath him expanded and began to engulf him...
"Yuki-kun! Wait! You can't go! You can't leave me!..."
With his last breath and Tsubaki's cries, Yuki (clone) decided to end this illusion...
"I know it's not my place to say it, but live and be happy. Don't let the future you never had bind you to a world of dreams. Walk forward, you are a butterfly that has emerged from the cocoon, spread your wings and fly. For the love of your parents, for your past, for yourself, for your future...."
"Yuki-kun!!"
Trying to stop Yuki, who was being swallowed by darkness, Tsubaki held his hand. However, that hand disintegrated into shadow particles. This was normal, as unlike other clones, this Yuki had depleted all his energy; he is the past, he doesn't exist in this future...
"Goodbye... Miss Tsubaki, I enjoyed playing with you..."
Remembering his time as a dog and the games they had, Yuki smiled happily. However, before he left, a small decorative ball appeared in his hand. This was his last gift, so he disappeared into the shadows. Seeing it, Tsubaki trembled violently....
This ball is the memory of her mother, that ball that accompanied her in moments of darkness. That ball was the light that prevented her from falling into darkness, her only spiritual support.
"Why...."
However, when she needed it most, this ball disappeared...
"Why do you appear now?!"
Grabbing the ball, Tsubaki cried and screamed. She had needed this ball a long time ago, but now...
Turning her gaze, Yuki's body had disappeared, leaving a blood-stained katana, the one that killed Reisuke...
"I don't need you anymore..."
Dropping the decorative ball, Tsubaki picked up the katana from the ground. She no longer needed those memories; she has others now, and if possible, that will be her past...
One where she is happy, and this katana is proof that she lived that life...
"Yuki-kun, thank you... I will cherish these memories."
Murmuring softly, Tsubaki kissed the hilt of the katana and looked into the distance, where energy fluctuations were being emitted...
"However, there are still enemies..."
Yes, Yuno was still fighting against Minene. She couldn't be passive anymore and wait for someone to save her. These two years she experienced taught her something important.
She must fight; otherwise, the important people in her life will die, just like her parents, just like her beloved pet...
So, releasing the power within her, she firmly grasped the katana, and her body began to float...
"I'm coming, Gasai-san..."
*Bam...
With a shockwave, her body shot towards the battlefield...
Leaving the ball on the ground, the ball she never saw again, the ball representing her tragic past, she had discarded it and firmly grasped the katana representing her new memories...
And just as Yuki said, the butterfly opened its wings and flew towards its future....
--------------
"You have lost, Fifth..."
At the same time in the other Time Castle, the original Yuki had also cornered his opponent.
The mirrors around him shattered, and shadows held Reisuke tightly...
Unlike Yuki (clone), the original Yuki didn't have to find Reisuke but put together all the pieces of the puzzle from a time fragment.
The difficulty he experienced was much greater than what Tsubaki and his clone went through, as he entered many mirrors. But unlike his clone, Yuki had Zakiel, Rasiel, and Est by his side, making collecting the fragments easy.
With overwhelming force, Reisuke couldn't resist. This situation arose where Yuki bound Reisuke while holding a small fragment in his hand...
"I must say I am surprised. Even I didn't think you would go to these extremes."
The mystery of the two Reisukes also unraveled. Initially, Yuki had many doubts about the origin of the Reisuke who fought against Tsubaki and his clone, but now everything was clear...
"Summoning your alternate self, this is a remarkable feat."
This was the reason both Reisukes had the same energy and power. Unlike a Time clone, his alternate self turned out to be more powerful than the one in this world.
Doing this was very risky, as sometimes a person's alternate self tended to be a powerless regular, not to mention how dangerous it was to summon it.
Their mere existence in this world was similar to provoking a paradox that could destroy the continuous space and time.
But here's the wonderful part – the crown protecting the world does not allow internal or external energies to harm it. As well as anomalies, it is a shield that denies any ability or attack that would destroy the world.
That's why in this absolute shield, paradoxes cannot be created. Likewise, the creation of other parallel worlds, timelines, or reality changes on a global scale cannot occur.
For the world, this is what's called an absolute shield. Apart from Chaos energy, nothing can harm it.
But this also works in favor of the participants, as many of their destructive abilities related to Time and space can be used.
Such as time loops, small-scale timelines, summoning alternate selves, etc., etc.... as long as these anomalies do not destroy the world.
----------
TN: Ch 300, anyways let's continue